Rattlesnake Club 25th Anniversary

Project Overview:

One of downtown Detroit’s most iconic restaurants, Rattlesnake Club, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013. Though the restaurant had enjoyed a stellar reputation in its heyday, in recent years the upscale destination had undergone ownership changes, done little marketing or promotion, and found itself competing in a dynamic, very crowded dining scene when Detroit’s resurgence began. In fact, many metro Detroiters believed Rattlesnake Club had closed its doors and was no longer open.

CKC Agency was highly recommended to Rattlesnake Club’s management team by CBS Radio Detroit’s market manager and operations manager as the ideal PR firm to help plan and publicize the restaurant’s planned 25th Anniversary Gala.

Moreover, the Anniversary Gala was to include a charitable tie-in for its highly-targeted audience.

The primary goals of the event were to:

Bring guests back to Rattlesnake Club

Give back in a philanthropic way to the community

Nurture strategic partnerships with businesses, the media, and charitable organizations

Obtain publicity for the 25th Anniversary Gala

Tactics Implemented:

CKC Agency’s longstanding relationship with Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan was instrumental in securing the nonprofit as the charity partner. CKC Agency:

Arranged for the event to be the official launch of Gleaner’s annual Hunger Free Summer Campaign

Compiled a comprehensive, targeted event guest list

Collaborated with a graphics company to create an anniversary logo and stunning invitation

Oversaw distribution of the invitations

Handled RSVPs

Met regularly with Rattlesnake Club’s management team to review event details and ensure the timeline was being followed

Provided input on the menu

Coordinated a huge snake “can-structure”

Secured a radio personality to emcee

Created event handouts and an oversized $20,000 ceremonial check to present Gleaners

Wrote and distributed press releases and media alerts

Followed up with the media to secure event coverage

Results Achieved:

The owners and management team of Rattlesnake Club credited the enormous success of Rattlesnake Club’s 25th Anniversary Gala, the biggest event they had done to date, to the CKC Agency team’s guidance, support, creative ideas and connections. They expressed that CKC Agency kept them on track with the event planning timeline, assisted in compiling the biggest guest list they had ever seen, helped create their beautifully designed invitation, helped them execute, in their words, “a truly world-class event,” and delivered media coverage that, again in their words, was “second to none.”

Mission Statement

CKC Agency is a dynamic, highly respected, results-oriented public relations and marketing services firm that excels in showcasing its clients in positive, newsworthy ways to help them build their brands and strategically achieve their goals.